Tim Cook is an American business executive, and is the CEO of Apple Inc. Cook joined Apple in March 1998 as Senior Vice President (SVP) of Worldwide Operations—he also served as Executive Vice President (EVP) of Worldwide Sales and Operations—and was Chief Operating Officer (COO) until he was named the CEO of Apple on August 24, 2011, when he succeeded Steve Jobs. On October 30, 2014, Cook came out as gay in an editorial for Bloomberg Businessweek, stating: “I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me. We pave the sunlit path toward justice together, brick by brick. This is my brick.” As a result, Tim Cook also became the first openly gay CEO on the Fortune 500 list.
